Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-26
STARVING AT MIDLAND.
A Sad State OF Affairs Owing TO the Oh
stinacy Of Few County Officials
and Land Spectators.
People Actually at the Point of Starva
tion-Aid Refused Because 1t Might
Check immigration.

ALBANY, Ten, Feb. 81, 1857.
To the Editor of the Gazette:
minister of the Cumberland Presby-
tartan church, wnom believe to be per-
fectly truthful and responsible for what
he says, writes me from Midland on the
18th inst. that they have not had a gener-
al rain there since June year ago; that
great many were induced to go out there,
believing it to be farming country, but
after building houses, improving their
lands and sowing them down, they lost
everything. He represents the poor
drouth sufferers in Midland county as be-
ing in q terrible state OF restitution.
There is no work and nothing to sell that
will buy provisions, and a good number
fare so situated that they cannot leave. He
says: "Some of them told me that they
! have had nothing to eat but mule ear rab-
bits and prairie dogs, end children have
| been known to hunt up old bones and
crack and suck them to get some little
| taste to satisfy their hunger. 1t is said
that there has been one lady who actually
died from poverty, and yet the County
Judge and the editor of the Staked Plains,
and the railroad men, the land
! spectators, and also the saloon men are
violently opposed to any aid being given.
| They say twill stop immigration and check
trade, and they can not rent their houses
and sell their lands. Rev. DR.. Cooper of
Fort Worth was at Midland last summer
and saw the restitution of the county and
! laid it before the First Presbyterian
church of Fort Worth, and they sent some
supplies TO d very worthy elder of the
q, J.; 10
and some to distribute among the dis
( treSsed. AS soon as it came the editor
and others ran around town and gathered
up all that they could to hold an indigna-
ton meeting over it IN the courthouse.
They passed resolutions against any sup
plies being sent and accused the old man
of procuring supplies under false preten-
tons. | was present when some of the
needy received their little portion of sup
plies, and they were so rejoiced over il
that they wept like children. l know as
much of the drouth stricken country as
any one, for | lave travelled hundreds OF
miles over it, and know that unless aid
is given, and that very soon, there will
be extreme suffering and even death
, know one widow lady with
one child, who made living from hel
death, and she is entirely destitute G.
anything to eat, and l know of severa
: good, religious families who never knew
want before, are now reduced to a little
bread and water, and not more of thai
than will last week, with not dollar tC
buy and no credit at the stores" This i:
terrible indictment of the "powers thai
be;' in Midland county. Such cruel say.
IN ciryil nd lie ii inn 10
ible. The drouth is bad enough, Goo
knows, but to be denied outside aid, anC
whole families left to starve, or subsist OF
prairie dogs, jack rabbits or old bones il
terrible, and in a county ike ours, dis
graceful. If those county judges, ant
others, who are acting the "dog in tn,
: manger," like the above, imagine tina
they are pursuing the best course to in
| duce immigration, they are sad
=, " mistaken. It will yet bf
seen whether counties likt
: Shackelford, where the poor are kind,
! treated, or like Midland where they are
: left to starve, will be the counties tt
which the future immigrant will come
There ought to be 40 delay in relieving
those unfortunate people in Midland by
the charitable of the state Of Texas if thei
own county officials will not.
} JOHN BROWN.
, z. S.-Will not Rev. DR.. Cooper o
your city, who knows the facts in thi:
case, see to it again that those poor people
are relieved at once? am sure the gOoC
! people of Fort Worth will not allow suct
5 4 state of things to exist in Midland i
: they can prevent it. The drouth commits
} sioners should also see that those people
: are Droyided for whether the county
, Judge invites them out or not.